The present invention is in the technical field of pet products. More specifically, the present invention is in the technical field of pet waste collection, temporary storage, and disposal. More specifically, the present invention addresses the need for portable devices to be used by individuals for the sanitary collection, temporary storage, containment, transport, and environmentally sound disposal of pet waste into the sewer system.
The prior art found in a search of U.S. Patents is listed as Appendix A.
The present invention is designed to address the pressing environmental need for more people to clean up after their pets, and for those who do so to practice proper separation of pet waste from trash/landfill and biodegradable composting by facilitating the disposal of pet waste into the sewage system.
As more and more towns, cities, and states across the U.S. and regulators around the world require pet owners to remove and properly dispose of pet waste that would otherwise be deposited in public places, previously available options are also being regulated out of existence. Simultaneously, an increasing number of regulatory bodies have established environmentally sound waste collection practices, in which waste is separated into garbage, various recyclables, and compostable waste. The present invention brings together the goals of these efforts with a device that encourages pet owners to clean up and deposit pet waste where it belongs; not in a plastic bag or in the garbage, and not in the compost in a biodegradable bag, but in a secure receptacle that makes it easy to collect, contain, and transport the pet waste to a healthier, more environmentally sound end: into the toilet and ultimately into sewage treatment facilities.
The present invention is designed to be easily manufactured in different sizes to address the clean-up requirements of small, medium, and large pets, as well as to address the need for larger containers to accommodate the increasingly popular practice of individuals (“pet walkers”) walking multiple pets in public places.
The present invention addresses the drawbacks of current methods of collecting, containing, transporting and disposing of pet waste that generally result in the ultimate disposition pet waste in the garbage (land fill) or in the compost, neither of which is environmentally sound nor healthful.
First, the present invention replaces the common use of plastic bags to comply with directives to pick up pet waste, which has resulted in pet owners depositing the pet waste and the plastic bags in the garbage and ultimately in the landfill, where it may remain inert for centuries and longer.
Second, with the banning of plastic bags in many locales, some pet owners have moved to using biodegradable bags to pick up pet waste, and now deposit the waste in either the garbage, or as suggested by the use of a biodegradable bag, in the compost. The pathogens found in pet waste create a health risk when added to compost. The present invention replaces the current practice of pet-owner reliance on an increasingly diminishing supply of environmentally unsound plastic bags or on the improper use of compostable biodegradable bags (intended for food waste disposal) to clean up pet waste.
Third, the present invention encourages pet waste clean-up by alleviating the unpleasant feel, the foul odors, and the lack of sanitation that result when the human hand and other body parts come in contact with pet waste, which is inevitable with the use of easily split plastic bags, and worse, with permeable, even more easily split biodegradable bags, to pick up, transport and dispose of pet waste.
Fourth, the present invention improves on the more cumbersome pet waste clean-up devices currently available on the market that are designed for yard-clean up, but not for both yard clean-up and portability for clean-up after dogs in public spaces. The present invention will benefit not only individual pet owners, kennels, and pet trainers, but also those involved in the increasingly the popular business of dog walking with multiple dogs in public parks and spaces, particularly in the nation's increasingly crowded urban areas.
Fifth, the present invention replaces prior art and current clean-up practices with a unique system of storing the shovel unit and the feces in an airtight container which effectively protects the owner from the foul odor of feces while walking the pet and eliminates fecal contact with the owner's skin, thereby promoting sanitation, peace of mind, and more enjoyable outdoor experience with one's pet or pets.
Sixth, the present invention allows for temporary storage and transportation of pet waste separate from the pet owner's personal belongings, such as back packs, fanny packs, or waste packs, shopping bags, or purses, thus allowing for a more enjoyable experience with one's pet or pets.
Seventh, the present invention addresses the environmental need to reduce exposure to pathogens, pollutants, and gaseous emissions caused by pet waste that is not properly cleaned up and disposed of into waste water treatment facilities.
Eighth, the present invention also decreases contamination of the watershed by promoting appropriate pet waste disposal into waste water treatment facilities for both pets at home (yard clean-up) and pets out walking (public-space clean-up).